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Saturday, December 14, 2013

Samuel Sommer, ‘Superman Sam’ dies aged 8

Samuel Sommer, the Chicago-area Jewish boy who inspired tens
of rabbis to shave their heads to raise funds for pediatric cancer research,
died on December 14 at the age of 8.

Many people followed Sammy’s battle against refractory acute
myeloid leukemia on the “Superman Sam” blog written by his mother, Rabbi
Phyllis Sommer. Word of Sammy’s passing spread quickly, and it was announced
several hours later at Shacharit services at the Union for Reform Judaism
biennial convention currently taking place in San Diego.

“I am breathtakingly, heartbreakingly sad. I’m not even that
angry right now… I’m simply sad. Desperately sad,” Sommer wrote on December 11,
her last blog entry before her son’s death. Sammy was the second of the rabbi’s
four children together with her husband Rabbi Michael Sommer.

Family friend Rabbi Rebecca Einstein Schorr told The Times
of Israel that Sammy died peacefully at home shortly after midnight with his
parents at his side.

“He had been put on hospice at home on Monday, and by Friday
he was unbelievably weak and it was expected that it would happen this weekend.”
Schorr reported. “His parents said the bedtime prayers with him. He wasn’t
scared. He just calmly went to sleep.”

After Sammy died, his mother picked out clothes for him to
be buried in: his Superman pajamas; his Superman shirt; his favorite hoodie
sweatshirt; a Superman blanket that someone had given him and that he loved;
and his Spongebob sheets.

The funeral for Sammy will take place on December 16 at Am
Shalom in Glencoe, Illinois, where Phyllis Sommer is associate rabbi. “Over his
entire brief but meaningful life, Sammy has taught all of us about courage,
struggle, strength, and wisdom. But, over
the last year and a half, Sam and the entire Sommer family have taught us all
about grace, beauty, peace, and acceptance,” read an announcement put out by
the synagogue.

Schorr, who has been organizing the fundraising campaign
with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, said it would continue in Sammy’s memory. As of
the day Sammy passed away, 48 rabbis (including 10 women) had registered to
shave their heads. An additional 11 rabbis will fundraise for the cause, but
will not shave their hair off.

One rabbi’s wife is joining the effort by organizing a
cap-knitting project. “There’s going to be a lot more bald rabbis walking
around beyond the usually follicly challenged ones,” Schorr remarked. “Any
extra caps knitted will be sold, with the proceeds going toward our $180,000
fundraising goal—of which we have already raised more than half.”

Schorr is extremely saddened by the fact that the fundraiser
will now be in Sammy’s memory, rather than in his honor.

“Phyllis always imagined that Sammy would get better and one
day read her blog,” she said tearfully. “Now, he won’t ever read his story.”